cassandra daily » appshttp://www.cassandra.co
Tue, 03 Mar 2015 15:53:00 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1Order Uphttp://www.cassandra.co/life/order-up/
http://www.cassandra.co/life/order-up/#commentsThu, 20 Nov 2014 14:58:16 +0000Alyssa Buonohttp://www.cassandra.co/?p=20171Home food delivery has evolved way beyond pizza, thanks to services like Seamless and GrubHub. Now, as young consumers have become accustomed to ordering food from apps, new kitchens are foregoing the physical eatery space, operating in the cloud instead. Headed by highly skilled chefs, they are essentially personal catering services, cooking and delivering restaurant-quality meals on request and, in most cases, for very reasonable prices.

Maple: Celebrity chef David Chang’s latest project isn’t another outpost of his Momofuku empire. Rather, he’s choosing to go high tech, launching Maple, an app-based restaurant in New York early next year. Chang will serve as the venture’s Chief Culinary Officer, and he’s recruiting a host of other well-known chefs in the city to serve as members of the Culinary Board of Directors. Maple will have a menu specially created by Chang, complemented by a collection of seasonal daily specials. The master chef hopes the project will redefine expectations of food delivery, which to date have focused more on convenience than on cuisine.

Sprig: In San Francisco, Sprig is also going the celebrity chef route to bring attention to its meal delivery service. Founded by former Google chef Nate Keller, the service initially included a daily menu created by Keller himself. His intent was to establish a convenient, healthy, locally sourced food service that people could eat several days a week, without the negative consequences of fast food or typical restaurant fare. Starting this month, however, it will begin adding guest menus from some of the Bay Area’s most celebrated chefs. Sprig also delivers on price, with lunch entrées listed at $9 and dinner items at $10.

Munchery:Munchery has done so well in its home base of San Francisco, it earned a second round of venture funding to expand the service to Seattle. For now, it offers inexpensive dinners, ranging from $10 to $13 per entrée, along with soups and side dishes for a few dollars more, but it doesn’t serve lunch. Items ordered a few days in advance are eligible for a small discount. Munchery’s meals are cooked just enough and then cooled so as not to spoil during delivery. Once they arrive, hungry recipients simply follow the provided heating instructions.

]]>http://www.cassandra.co/life/order-up/feed/0First Fridays: Nick Greenfield, Washiohttp://www.cassandra.co/life/first-fridays-nick-greenfield-washio/
http://www.cassandra.co/life/first-fridays-nick-greenfield-washio/#commentsFri, 03 Oct 2014 14:54:39 +0000Alyssa Buonohttp://www.cassandra.co/?p=19751For this month’s edition of First Fridays, we wanted to learn more about the laundry service app trend, so we connected with Nick Greenfield, VP of Marketing and Growth at Washio. While he didn’t air any industry dirty laundry, he did share with us his customer service role models, the importance of automation in problem solving, and his company’s toothsome differentiating factor.

How did you come to join Washio?

I joined Washio is September of 2013. Before Washio, I was running city launches at Lyft where I opened eight cities including Los Angeles, Boston, and Washington, DC. Jordan [Metzner], our CEO, was one of the first Lyft drivers in LA. He and I had stayed in touch after I left LA. After about three months of conversations in the summer of 2013, Jordan convinced me to join Washio as the fourth employee.

If you had to choose one word or phrase to describe Washio, what would it be?

‘Full Stack’ – We are reinventing the entire dry cleaning and laundry business from top to bottom.

How do you define success for Washio?

Becoming the leading national brand for dry cleaning and laundry

What is the one thing you wish you knew before you joined Washio?

It turns out that dry cleaning and laundry, especially at scale, is extraordinarily difficult. Each week, we handle millions of dollars worth of garments. Our operation is very complex, and I wish I’d had a better understanding of what needed to happen from Day One.

What is the one thing you never want to hear (or, most want to hear) from a customer/user/client?

“Where are my clothes?” At Washio, we strive to be on time to every order. We know that our customers expect Washio to be more convenient than any other option out there, so any time we’re late, we take it personally.

What compan[y]ies (other than your own) are you inspired by, and why?

Internally, we talk about Amazon and Zappos more than any other companies. The entire exec team has read both The Everything Store and Delivering Happiness. Washio uses a distribution center model to handle, sort and distribute dry cleaning and laundry to our various facilities in each city. Many of the problems we are facing now are comparable to the operational pain points Amazon and Zappos experienced early on. Our engineering team and operations team work hand-in-hand to build scalable, technological solutions to these problems.

We also have a very strong culture of customer service. Our support team takes monthly retreats to discuss goals, improve culture, and is always looking inward on how we can improve. Our co-founder and COO Juan Dulanto leads the support team and ensures we are happy internally, so we can deliver both happiness and clean clothes to our customers.

What unique challenges have you faced so far in launching Washio and how did you solve them?

Like any startup, we’ve faced our fair share of challenges. My favorite problems to solve are the ones that are especially laborious: taking manual tasks and automating them with technology. In just the last few months, we’ve automated everything from driver onboarding to our in-office FIFA scoreboard.

The laundry outsourcing service category is growing rapidly; what is Washio doing to offer a unique value proposition in the face of numerous competitors?

We provide the highest quality cleaning with the fastest turnaround at the most times in the most cities…all with a cookie and a smile.

What’s next for Washio?

We’re coming to a city near you.

]]>http://www.cassandra.co/life/first-fridays-nick-greenfield-washio/feed/0Gimme a Breakhttp://www.cassandra.co/tech/gimme-a-break/
http://www.cassandra.co/tech/gimme-a-break/#commentsFri, 12 Sep 2014 15:05:47 +0000christinahttp://www.cassandra.co/?p=19524As digital natives, Gen Ys depend on their smartphones for nearly everything, a generational hallmark that is entering a danger zone as young people increasingly suffer from mobile addiction. Indeed, the number of mobile addicts surged 123% last year—with the demographic also including many parents of Millennials. Somewhat ironically, new apps are now attempting to keep the problem in check by taking preventative measures against obsessive phone usage.

Moment: Smartphones have changed the way people communicate, often affecting real-life relationships negatively. While drastic digital detoxes work for some, they don’t necessarily help navigate the space between absolute digital seclusion and addiction. Moment creator Kevin Holesh built the app to promote a sense of balance by harmonizing digital duties with time spent enjoying friends and family. The invisible iOS app prevents users from compulsively checking their messages by programming daily limits, and encourages getting out in the world by tracking whereabouts. Additionally, occasional notifications alert them to how much time they’ve spent on their iPhone, and warn them if they are approaching the threshold.

BreakFree: What Moment does for the iPhone, BreakFree offers for Android devices. In addition to notifying people of usage with an “addiction score,” the app tracks how often they unlock the screen, spend time on calls, and use various apps. Because that data gives people more reason to look at their phones, BreakFree also provides tools to make it impossible to maintain damaging habits. For example, users can schedule sound disabling, auto-rejecting calls, and SMS auto response. The company plans to integrate a social element that will enable users to encourage their friends to enjoy life outside the screen, too.

Menthal: Having uncontrollable urges to check one’s phone is a problem that psychiatrists in some countries are pushing to be officially designated a disorder. Scientists and psychologists at the University of Bonn in Germany are likewise studying the relationship between emotional health and phone usage, which led to the creation of an app that tracks how people spend time on their mobile devices. Menthal measures users’ digital habits, quantifying talk minutes, text rates, and time engaged in social networking. What’s more, it streamlines the data delivery with only one report each day, and interprets the information from a psychological perspective.

]]>http://www.cassandra.co/tech/gimme-a-break/feed/0First Fridays: Melody McCloskey, Founder of StyleSeathttp://www.cassandra.co/style/first-fridays-melody-mccloskey-founder-of-styleseat/
http://www.cassandra.co/style/first-fridays-melody-mccloskey-founder-of-styleseat/#commentsFri, 05 Sep 2014 15:50:21 +0000christinahttp://www.cassandra.co/?p=19467For this month’s edition of First Fridays, we reached out to Melody McCloskey, CEO of StyleSeat, “a service for consumers to discover, book and pay for beauty and style appointments online or from their phone.” Read on for Melody’s thoughts on why having an advisor is crucial for entrepreneurs, the power of storytelling in driving employee engagement, and how brands can leverage on-demand booking apps.

How did you come up with the idea for StyleSeat?

I came up with the idea because I was frustrated at how difficult it was to find a great stylist based off of reviews sites or friend recommendations. I wanted a stylist who was great at textured hair, in my price range, and within a few neighborhoods of where I lived, but there was no way to search for that. It’s basically out of stubbornness that StyleSeat was born.

If you had to choose one word or phrase to describe StyleSeat, what would it be?

“Style Concierge”

How do you define success for StyleSeat?

We’re helping professionals and entrepreneurs in the beauty space better run and grow their businesses, and we’re helping clients become more confident by helping them find their style. If we can do that for more people, I’ll be pretty happy.

What is the one thing you wish you knew before you started StyleSeat?

I wish someone told me to find a close advisor to help with all the ‘starting a company’ things. Incorporation, finding a lawyer, prototyping, getting to minimum viable product: I did most of that stuff on my own, and then I got an advisor six months in and everything happened 10x faster because they’d done all of it before. I think women especially are reserved about asking for advice. Do it!

What is the one thing you never want to hear (or, most want to hear) from a customer/user/client?

The stories we hear from our businesses and entrepreneurs are so powerful. Things like “I’ve been a stylist for years but haven’t been able to build enough clients to do it full-time until StyleSeat,” or “StyleSeat has helped me more successfully support my family doing what I love.” I’ve cried more than a few times talking to stylists about the impact it’s had on their careers and lives. We share those stories weekly in team meetings and it’s by far the biggest driver for our employees.

What compan[y]ies (other than your own) are you inspired by, and why?

I love Nasty Gal; Sophia is a badass. She built her company in her own way and with a strong point of view—people love that. Nasty Gal’s community and bottom line are stronger because she touched on something people care about.

StyleSeat recently partnered with L’Oreal. Can you please tell us a little about that?

Yes! We’re so excited. StyleSeat is the recommended platform for [L’Oreal] stylists to run and grow their business. When L’Oreal stylists and salons sign up for StyleSeat, they’ll not only get access to our amazing business and tools and client community but they’ll also have the ability to turn on their own online store to sell product. This means more stylists and salons on our site and mobile app, along with easier ways for our consumers to purchase product from their computer or phone.

What’s next for StyleSeat?

So much stuff! We have a lot of cool things rolling out to make it easier for consumers to find a professional based on when/where/what they need. We also have some fun social features coming out that I think will give consumers more reason to use us compared to other tools out there, along with lots of stuff aimed at growing our community and ultimately helping any professional or business on StyleSeat to be more successful.

]]>http://www.cassandra.co/style/first-fridays-melody-mccloskey-founder-of-styleseat/feed/0Blind Datehttp://www.cassandra.co/life/blind-date/
http://www.cassandra.co/life/blind-date/#commentsWed, 27 Aug 2014 14:52:18 +0000christinahttp://www.cassandra.co/?p=19387The success of Tinder among Millennials and marketers alike has helped pave the way for a crop of new digital dating platforms. Unlike their appearance-focused counterpart, however, the latest ones emphasize less superficial ideals. These dating service alternatives seek to prevent snap judgment by highlighting personality and interest compatibility first – not a potential date’s ability to rock a bathing suit.

Willow: Like a doting parent arranging a blind date, Willow helps lower the intimidation factor of meeting someone new by taking looks out of the initial equation. Instead, the app focuses on compatibility first, physical attraction later. Singles create profiles, ask up to three questions for users nearby to answer, and then swipe through questions that others have posted. If they like a question, they tap to answer; if they don’t, they swipe to pass. When users mutually enjoy each other’s answers, they can then choose to reveal profile photos and make plans to meet in person.

Loveflutter: Interest-based dating platform Loveflutter soft-launched in New York and the UK last year with a site that aimed to match prospective dates that shared similar quirky interests. They have since rebooted with a more zeitgeisty—yet, still debatable—approach that taps into the ‘swipe’ trend popularized by Tinder. The initial image users view when swiping through potential matches is a 140-character-or-less “Quirky Fact,” which they can swipe up to pass on or swipe down to like. When a reciprocal match is achieved, users can then long-press the profile’s blurred-out photo to reveal the person behind the fact.

Looksee:Looksee allows singles to connect with each other over something most Millennials are already accustomed to sharing: smartphone photos. Users sign up through their Facebook or Instagram accounts, and when two users mutually like one another’s images, their identities are then revealed to each other within the app, allowing them to make a personal connection that is based on shared taste and style. In doing so, app creators Quebec Drive discourage the type of risqué photo-sharing that’s become common on mainstream dating apps, as users are associated with their real identities after the big reveal.

]]>http://www.cassandra.co/life/blind-date/feed/0Through The Looking Glasshttp://www.cassandra.co/life/through-the-looking-glass/
http://www.cassandra.co/life/through-the-looking-glass/#commentsMon, 25 Aug 2014 16:15:12 +0000christinahttp://www.cassandra.co/?p=19348Augmented reality technology is changing the way Millennials shop for clothing, cars, furniture, and even tattoos by allowing consumers to test items virtually before committing to purchase. The beauty industry is likewise latching onto the technology, introducing increasingly services and apps that make it easier to try on products (no mess or harsh skin effects) and get creative with cosmetics

Sephora’s Augmented Reality Mirror: Sephora is known widely for its generous product sampling, a perk that recently received a digital facelift with an in-store option to try on makeup virtually. ModiFace-powered mirrors use facial detection technology to simulate how products will look on a customer’s face from multiple perspectives. Shoppers use a touchscreen display to choose from a broad range of colors and textures, which can be easily altered with just a tap. For now the mirrors are only available at the Milan flagship, but women can test out the technology with the ModiFace app’s virtual makeovers, complete with color cosmetics and celeb-inspired hairstyles.

L’Oréal Makeup Genius App: Drugstore cosmetics brands have long been at a disadvantage compared to their department store counterparts, since shoppers are rarely able to test their products. L’Oréal’s Makeup Genius app removes this barrier to purchase by turning shoppers’ smartphones and tablets into virtual makeup mirrors. Users can either browse for cosmetics or scan items in-store, and then try them out digitally with a facial recognition-enabled live mirror camera. Once satisfied with their new look, shoppers can both buy the items directly via the app’s built-in shopping cart and snap selfies to reference when applying the products in real life.

Metaverse Nails: In the case of nail art brand Metaverse Nails, the digital component of the product is more gleaming than the polish. Launched in China in 2012 and expanding globally this summer, the company creates nail decals, a now common manicure solution, but with an added twist. When viewed through the brand’s augmented reality app, the decals sprout 3D holographic jewels, sparkles, flowers, and creatures that ‘appcessorize’ the look. The company has created some unique limited edition digital designs, making them collector’s items and status symbols among faithful fans, much like rare items in the world of virtual gaming.

]]>http://www.cassandra.co/life/through-the-looking-glass/feed/0CASSANDRA REPORT DIGEST: Young Consumers Are Bingeing More, on More Types of Mediahttp://www.cassandra.co/media/cassandra-report-digest-young-consumers-are-bingeing-more-on-more-types-of-media/
http://www.cassandra.co/media/cassandra-report-digest-young-consumers-are-bingeing-more-on-more-types-of-media/#commentsFri, 22 Aug 2014 14:53:31 +0000christinahttp://www.cassandra.co/?p=19329The unprecedented wealth of movies, TV shows, magazines, albums, and ebooks available at the click of a button can be overwhelming. But for young consumers, opting out of content isn’t a desirable option. Instead, these individuals are taking control of the excess of pop culture content available to them, as explored in our Cassandra Report: POP, by strategizing ways to absorb as much as possible in the least amount of time.

Rooster: Though the binge method began with TV content, it’s now extending beyond the screen, with 3 in 10 respondents in our study saying they binge on books. The app Rooster helps people consume written text in the course of their busy schedules by parsing out parts of books in 15-minute installments. Users can schedule snippets to be sent on particular days, and opt to read more in one sitting if they have time to spare (or can’t stand the suspense). Subscribers are sent two novels each month—one contemporary and one classic, in an effort to provide “a conversational counterpoint.”

Blinkist: One-third of Cassandra respondents report they’re bingeing on more media today than they were a year ago. To help individuals maximize their content consumption in the shortest amount of time, Blinkist creates text summaries of non-fiction books. Each work is broken down into about eight bites, called “blinks,” followed by a summary of all the key points. This format allows users to digest books in about fifteen minutes, and in turn to absorb more than they’d otherwise have time for. Blinkist offers titles across a wide range of categories including business and career, politics and history, popular science, and self-help.

Skippable: TV remains the most popular form of content that young people binge on, with 52% of respondents in our study reporting that they take part in this activity. To make television bingeing more manageable, the Tumblr Skippable cuts down shows to their essentials by advising viewers on which episodes to bypass. By skipping the occasional dull episode that fails to advance the plot, bingers can tear through series faster. The blog mostly covers cult-like shows such as Dr. Who, Twin Peaks, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but has recently begun mentioning what parts of books, comics, movies, and games individuals should skip, too.

]]>http://www.cassandra.co/media/cassandra-report-digest-young-consumers-are-bingeing-more-on-more-types-of-media/feed/0Follow the Beaconhttp://www.cassandra.co/tech/follow-the-beacon/
http://www.cassandra.co/tech/follow-the-beacon/#commentsWed, 20 Aug 2014 15:03:32 +0000christinahttp://www.cassandra.co/?p=19302Millennials are tethered to smartphones, relying on their trusty companions to enhance everyday experiences and inform purchasing decisions. As such, brands have been challenged to develop creative ways for people to digitally engagein theirphysical establishments that don’t subtract from their bottom line. In an ongoing effort to win over these mobile-minded consumers, companies are now employing beacon technology in varied strategies.

Tesco: The few major retailers, like Apple, who are experimenting with beacons (Bluetooth transmitters that pinpoint a device’s exact location) are using the technology to directly market to customers in the form of push notifications containing product suggestions, tips and promotions. Yet, this execution can be spam-like, even alienating shoppers – a situation UK supermarket Tesco hopes to avoid by focusing on customer service in its beacon trial. The MyStore app connects with iBeacons to assist shoppers via location-specific tools that help pick up online orders, connect with employees, navigate the store, find products on shopping lists, and in the future, use discounts vouchers.

SK Telecom: Unlike iBeacon, which is not external hardware but transmitters embedded into iOS7, commercial beacon offerings from Korean telecom company SK are standalone devices, which diversifies their applications. Any establishment can install one and use the company’s WIZTURN development platform to create a custom app. SK piloted the beacons last year in a hospital to help patients navigate the facilities, manage scheduling, and receive on-the-spot medical information. More recently, professional basketball team the SK Knights launched a beacon-enabled app to enhance fans’ digital engagement with 3D map navigation, offer location-specific promotions, and create opportunities for fans to engage live on social media during events.

]]>http://www.cassandra.co/tech/follow-the-beacon/feed/0Get Animatedhttp://www.cassandra.co/tech/get-animated/
http://www.cassandra.co/tech/get-animated/#commentsFri, 20 Jun 2014 21:18:18 +0000christinahttp://www.cassandra.co/?p=18712Facial recognition software has evolved from a subversive fantasy (a la Minority Report) to a commonplace reality, and is now being used for everything from helping athletes enhance their performance and improvingshopper experience to informing nightlife decisions. Now, real-time facial animation is fusing the once-feared technology with facial tracking and manipulation capabilities to create fun and fantastical experiences.

Snickers Korea:Snickers brought its brand message “You’re not you when you’re hungry” to a whole new level via facial morphing technology in a campaign at a university in Seoul. Agency Innored enlisted the help of USC computer science professor Hao Li, a talent at the helm of facial animation development, and The Avengers 3D modeler Gio Nakpil to transform consumers’ faces into zombies and animals, all in real time. When students approached a vending machine, they saw their appearances suddenly change, though the animation continued to mirror their movements and facial expressions. For the finale, the machine eventually dispensed a candy bar.

Looksery: The wide selection of photoeditingapps on the market gives users myriad creative options for revamping images. Looksery extends these capabilities to video, so that people can now even edit their “live” appearances for use in smartphone communications. Currently being funded on Kickstarter, the San Francisco-based startup designed software that uses real-time facial tracking to locate features such as one’s chin, nose, pupils, and eyebrows. Users can choose one of sixteen filters to make changes to their eye color and face shape, or assign special effects that alter their entire appearance—for example, transform them into a zombie or anime teddy bear.

Larry the Zombie: At this year’s SXSW, Texas-based motion capture animation studio Motus Digital sent an animated character called Larry the Zombie to get the inside scoop on the convention through interviews with attendees. The animated character was driven by a marker-based motion capture system, which relied on the movements of a human actor. The actor’s real-time emotions, responses, and facial expressions were simultaneously transposed to the character and composited into video. The feed was then sent via Skype to the conference, where Larry was able to “independently” engage with interviewees—a first for an animated zombie.

]]>http://www.cassandra.co/tech/get-animated/feed/0A Collegial Chathttp://www.cassandra.co/tech/a-collegial-chat/
http://www.cassandra.co/tech/a-collegial-chat/#commentsThu, 17 Apr 2014 16:36:14 +0000christinahttp://www.cassandra.co/?p=18097Concern over user privacy in the wake of WhatsApp’s acquisition by Facebook has yet to affect the messaging platform’s popularity. In fact, the app recently set a new messaging record after processing 64 billion messages in a single day. Recognizing an opportunity to maintain ties between growing numbers of telecommuters and permalance workers, messaging app developers are now appealing to the workplace.

TigerText: Secure mobile messaging platform TigerText rang in 2014 with a $21M round of funding—a testament to the potential growth of coworker messaging in coming months. The app provides an encrypted space for exchanges about confidential projects and meetings, and gives individual employees unprecedented control over their messaging capabilities. Users can restrict messages from being copied or forwarded, preset a “message lifespan” to ensure that their correspondence will self-destruct after a specified amount of time, and recall any messages sent in haste. The app’s user base quadrupled in the first half of 2013, suggesting a strong market for protected enterprise messaging.

Cotap:Cotap first positioned its free messaging platform for iOS and Android as a “WhatsApp for the workplace.” But the company has just expanded into a tiered payment model, which offers features specifically geared toward teams of coworkers and larger establishments. Upgrade options go beyond centralized messaging to give managers more control within the shared mobile messaging space. A $5 monthly fee per user allows individuals to send customized and even location-based alerts to entire teams of colleagues, while a $10 monthly fee per user unlocks offerings like data management, activity monitoring, and customer service integration.

Autodesk Instant: Software maker Autodesk recently launched a mobile messaging app meant to streamline conversation and collaboration between coworkers. The app, called Autodesk Instant, is a straightforward messaging platform on which users can share texts, photos and video, and even their geo-tagged location. One-on-one messaging is permitted, but the app was primarily designed to facilitate group conversations among colleagues working together on a particular project or goal. While the app’s functionality is not unlike that of other messaging options not specific to the workplace, it is intended to benefit from eventual integration into Autodesk’s myriad other productivity- and collaboration-enhancing office tools.